Greetings!


I recently acquired a B4000(for a steal!), had it almost a month now and im starting to notice a few problems, all driveline related (I think).


1. Have a "grinding/rubbing" noise in a LEFT turn only. It is a 4x4 and I haven't turned a bolt on it yet, save for very minor stuff. Since this particular model has some costly parts, I'm trying to prevent buying unnecessary parts! I have a set of 31 x 10.50 on it, and even though there is some minor tire rub, im 90% certain this is not the case.


2. has a somewhat "hard" shift when going into O/D(I think), doesn't do this all the time, im wonder if problem #2 and #3 are related.


3. Appears to be about 1in slack in the rear driveline, wondering if it is the rearend, and specifically the spider gears or pinion?


4. Also seems to be just a LITTLE slack in the front left CV axel, is this something I should be worried about? the front right is good and tight, Tcase shifts like its suppose to.




Thanks for any help or advice you can give!




-R

 

I cant really help ya, but remember that the ranger parts may interchange vs mazda parts. Was a guy here recently with same complaint and went with ranger part much cheaper.

Since you identified a problem with the left side front, and have a grinding issue with left turns could be a bearing in the system. If it has a CV joint yes you need to take care of it as they are $$ and a pain to R&R. There are 4x guys here who should chime in on this.

 

The problem with front ends appears to be that even though you think you know where a noise may be originating from, you can always be dead wrong!


It know sounds like I may be having a brake or wheel bearing issue on the front right side, which makes sense when I take a left turn that the mass shifts to the right.


I SHOULD be able to take a some wheels off in the next could days and get some good diagnostics....if it isn't raining

 

My guess on the grinding/rubbing sound is a bad front wheel bearing. Which side is the noise coming from? On your '98 4x4 the wheel hub and bearing are sold as a single assembly.

The harsh OD shifting might be attributable to old, worn out tranny fluid.

Regarding the slack in the rearend, do you mean "side-to-side" or "front-to-back"?

 

Well today I pulled the hub apart, and the bearing appears to be shot. And now I'm have difficulty locating a part that "broke" during the removal process.

I think its the pulse vacuum hub. Hard to find a good photo of it, black with a gray mesh like screen, it used to have 12 clips on it until they "broke"

 

Been working on my 1995 B4000 that was essentially given to me it was so cheap. My cheap truck has only cost me about $1800.00 now, and I still have more bushings, mounts and assorted drive line parts to replace. In the end I could not buy something in as good of shape for what I have in it though. A few more months of this nickel and diming me should have me a smooth ride Hope yours works out.

 

If your truck has the pulse vacuum hublock (PVH) 4WD engagement system, then do yourself a favor and pick up a set of AVM/Rugged Ridge aftermarket manual lockers. The factory PVH hubs are prone to failure, usually due to vacuum leaks.

See also: Rugged Ridge Hub Swap

 

Thanks for tip! Those look much better than the standard ones, not to mention it took while to fins the OEM part.

Wasn't planning on doing the other side, but hey it couldn't hurt either. I'm a fan of if it ain't broke.....

I hope this fixes problem #1, and they is only gonna put me $1500 into this truck so far. I found a pair of assemblys for 120 on partsgeek, im sure they are the off brand but parts places are wanting 130 for one!

I often have difficulty turning loose of a $20 bill sometimes! Haha

 

so now after much debate and doing just a bit of research, I have some questions/concearns about converting to the manual locking hubs.


when the switch is complete, do you leave them turned to free or do you leave them locked? would leaving them locked affect the any of the drivelines or Tcase?
Would this affect MPG or the differential?

 

This point was recently discussed in a recent thread:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...sengaging.html

Obviously, the manual hubs need to be locked in order to experience 4WD.

When you switch back to 2WD with the hubs still locked in, the front driveline will continue to spin whenever the front wheels spin; however, the front driveline will NOT be connected to the powertrain (engine, transmission & transfer case) and so you will NOT have 4WD. This is what is called a "constant-engagement" 4WD system and it relies solely on the transfer case to engage/disengage 4WD.

The fact of the matter is, the vast majority of '98+ 4WD Rangers/B-Series on the road today do in fact have a "constant-engagement" 4WD system. Only those that came with the PVH engagement system are capable of having the front hubs unlocked. I haven't seen or read anything to suggest that constant-engagement shortens the lifespan of the front diff or axles.

In my case, during this past winter, I kept the manual hubs locked in for over 2 months because we were getting 2-3 snowstorms a week. I only recently unlocked the front hubs when I knew I wasn't going to need 4WD anymore for an extended period of time.

My personal opinion is that, generally speaking, the less reciprocating mass there is (i.e., less "drag"), the higher the gas mileage. So unlocking the hubs probably saves a little gas in the long run. I have no empirical proof of that, but it just seems reasonable to me.

 

Today I got the rest of my "prep work" complete and now I find a new problem( I'm sure it hs been there just haven't tested it)

Front left drive Axel turns 7/8 turn then is harder to turn for the remainder.... any thoughts? It I'd a tad off level and it appears I may have a minor leak.

Front right turns easy and free.

Turns out the hubs were engaged as the Axel shaft turned when I spun the wheel so yes my pvh was failing